I love the holidays, but I am glad they are over! Too much to do, too many people around, too many distractions. I am sorry for the long delay in posting the next chapters, but here they are.
CHAPTER 14
Kate had always considered herself a calm, patient type of person... not one to draw attention to herself. If there was a long line at the market, she would wait quietly, smiling as if she had all the time in the world. After all, it didn't help matters to become a raging bitch and start screaming. Everyone else in line had places they needed to be as well.
Now, pacing her apartment for the millionth time, sipping her morning coffee, Kate wonders if she's reached the end of her patience. It's been three days since Gibbs was last here and although she's seen him at work that wasn't the same. She hadn't realized how addicted she'd become to having him in her life... until now.
He said he was busily working on his house; making some modifications for her to move in with him. The only thing she knew for sure was he mentioned adding a tub because he knew how much she loved taking bubble baths. But could that really take six weeks? He'd been working on this project a long time and insisted she not go to his house until he was done.
Her thoughts are interrupted by a knock at her door. Setting her cup down, she moves to answer it, wondering who would be there so early on a Saturday morning. As the door swings open, she is met with the sexy half smile she has come to love.
"Hey."
"Hi. You lose your key?" She leans on the door, letting her eyes scan over him as he leans casually against the door jamb.
"Nope. Just didn't want to get shot if you weren't ready for company this early."
"Possibility. Since I couldn't remember the last time you were here. It's been a while."
"Three days, twelve hours and... fifteen minutes." Glancing at his watch as he shifts away from the door frame and steps into her personal space. "But who's counting?"
She smiles as her hand snakes up his arm and around his neck, drawing him in for a kiss. Gibbs pulls her into his embrace and away from the door as he pushes it shut. His kiss is gentle, but demanding and it isn't long before his hand cradles her cheek and he draws back just far enough to whisper, "Gimme that mouth."
Her lips part as he devours her with a desire he's kept in check for way too long. Soft whimpers escape her as she melts into his embrace; giving herself up to the pleasure of being in his arms again. Each kiss blends into the next until they are both breathless and aching for more. Her hands slide down over his chest, hooking under the edge of his t-shirt. When she starts to push it up, Gibbs reluctantly grabs her wrists to stop their progression as he breaks the kiss.
"Aahh... Kate, no..." Her confused look has a tint of worry to it and he quickly eases her fears with another quick kiss before he continues, "Want you so bad right now... can't even tell you how much, but..."
"But...?" The worry is still in her eyes after not seeing him for three days her imagination had been working over time.
"...but, we got a lot to do today. Gotta get going." She draws back a little further so she can study his eyes in more depth. His expression can't hide his desire, but aside from that he wasn't giving anything away. He pushes her back another step as he pries her fingers off his t-shirt and motions towards her bedroom with a nod of his head. "Go. Get dressed."
She hesitates, holding his hands in her own as she tries to decide what he's planning. She begins to pull him with her towards the bedroom, but once again he stops her, holding his ground. She is beginning to get more worried now and it shows in the way her brow creases.
"What's going on, Jethro?"
"Breakfast, some shopping and then your surprise... that is if you behave yourself."
"I haven't seen you for three days and you're more interested in breakfast than coming into my bedroom with me?"
"No... didn't say that. I want you... just not now... not here. Now GO... before I let you ruin my whole surprise."
He gives her a reassuring grin that calms her worries and she finally allows him to push her towards the bedroom. After she has walked away, Gibbs takes several deep, calming breaths and runs his hand down over his suddenly tight jeans. He wanted her desperately after three days away, but he'd decided the next time he made love to her... it was going to be at home... in his bed. Now he was wondering, how in the hell was he going to make it through the day?
Breakfast was at the local diner Gibbs liked, mainly because they understood that eggs fried up in bacon grease was a good thing. Kate was a little more concerned with her diet and ordered the waffles with a side of fresh fruit. Her curiosity was driving her crazy, but she knew Gibbs wasn't one to let anything slip. Even so, she tried to get as much information out of him as possible.
"You've been working hard the last few days."
"Yup."
"Stayed at the office every night after you let us go home. Something come up at work I should know about?"
"Nope."
"Gibbs, come on! Give me something, here... the suspense is killing me!"
He chuckles and finally puts down his fork. He takes a long sip of his coffee and then sits back as his eyes meet hers. "Had that talk with DiNozzo."
"You did? About that night?"
"Uh-huh." He loves drawing out the suspense, but when her foot suddenly impacts his shin under the table, he groans in pain and then chuckles as he leans forward to give her the answer she is looking for. "He was shocked... at first. Thought you wanted to kill him... or you wanted me to do it for you."
"No, if I wanted him hurt... I'd do it myself."
He laughs again, nodding as he continues, "Yeah... he said the same thing. Think he was more shocked at me, than you."
"Why? His image of his idol tarnished when he saw you in action?" She can't hide the grin as Gibbs arches one brow up to glare at her; letting her know what he thinks of that idea.
"No. Just never suspected I'd be... so open minded."
"Well, you do come off as the overly private, jealous type... most of the time."
"Just because I don't advertise every sexual encounter like DiNozzo does? As for jealous... no, just protective of what's mine." His gaze holds hers for a long moment, letting her see the truth in his eyes.
With smile, Kate leans closer, "So... tell me what he said... about that night."
"Not much... said it was hot... said I had a nice ass, although that wasn't what did it for him..." Kate can't contain her laughter and Gibbs chuckles as well. He takes another sip of his coffee before continuing, "Told him I thought about asking him to join us..."
He leaves the last sentence hanging between them and Kate's laughter fades away. Her smile slowly disappears as she realizes he is serious. She needs a moment to process this information and picks up her cup to take a few sips of coffee as she holds his gaze. "And?"
"Told him I needed to talk to you about it first. Not just my decision here."
She can't hide the way her eyes widen, placing both elbows on the table as she lowers her voice to a whisper. "Is that my surprise today?!"
Gibbs' laughter can be heard throughout the restaurant and several heads turn their way at the sudden outburst. Kate immediately notices the unwanted attention and reaches out to playfully slap his hand, trying to quiet him as she blushes. "Ssshhh! God, Gibbs?!"
He continues to grin at her as he leans in, gently stroking her pink, flushed cheek. He can't help but be pleased with her reaction... most women would have been outraged, angry or just embarrassed to even be discussing it. But not his Kate. She never ceased to amaze him and he rewards her with a tender smile as he whispers his reply. "Aaahhh, Katie... I do love you."
She leans into the touch, suddenly emotional at the glowing emotion in his eyes. "But no, that is not your surprise... today." He notes the slight lowering of her eyes for a brief moment, her silent expression of what? Relief? Disappointment? He tilts her chin up and studies her for a moment, then adds, "Today we do some shopping, then I take you home... to your... to our home."
In an instant, the bright glitter has returned to her eyes and the smile he loves appears in full force once more. He had planted the seed and the rest of this conversation could wait. With that, he lifts her hand and kisses her inner wrist, feeling her pulse tripping along and wonders which topic of conversation caused it.
Shopping was a matter of picking up some food for the house, since he expected them to be staying there this weekend. Everything else they needed would be determined after Kate's belongings were moved over and they could consolidate everything. They would definitely have some duplication of items, but he'd let Kate decide what stayed and what got replaced.
Pulling up in the driveway, Kate leans forward to give the exterior of the house a good inspection. She didn't see anything different from this angle anyway. Gibbs tries to hide his smirk at her inspection; knowing she has no idea what he's done to the house. As they gather their groceries and head inside, the first thing she noticed was a lock on the front door. A deadbolt lock and a new doorknob with a lock.
"You installed locks on the front door... planning to keep me locked in?"
"Nope... just don't want anyone walking in while I'm chasing you naked around the house."
"Good idea." She leans over to give him a quick peck on the cheek before heading into the kitchen.
Nothing appeared to be different in there, at least until Gibbs began opening cupboards to show her they had been cleaned out to make room for whatever she wanted to put in them. She'd once teased him about having a 'bachelor's kitchen' because nothing matched and he didn't have a complete set of anything.
"Made room for you to bring your stuff in... at least it's all matched sets."
"Jethro, you didn't have to do that. We could have..." She is stopped mid-sentence by a kiss.
"This is your house now, Kate... besides, the kitchen is your domain; you should have it how you want it."
She just smiles, trying not to give in to the tears that had been threatening all morning. She didn't know if her emotional state was due to her hyper-awareness or just the intense nervousness of actually making this move into Gibbs' home. She decides kitchen cabinets were not something that warranted tears of joy so she fights them back and goes about putting away the groceries they purchased.
With that chore done, Gibbs takes her hand and heads back into the living room. He gives her a moment to look around, knowing she is mentally thinking about furniture placement. He points to his old recliner, "I have one request..."
"Which is?" Kate turns to face him, wondering what this first ultimatum will be.
"My recliner. I love that chair... I'd like to keep it."
Kate gives his request serious consideration, turning to examine the black leather chair. It has some wear, but isn't bad looking and would actually fit in nicely with her furniture. She runs a hand over it and then playfully turns back to face him.
"This old chair? That we christened on our, what? Third date?"
"Ahh, yea... third, and a few others." His smirk told her he recalled each time they had made love in that particular chair.
"You know, we've made love on that sofa a few times as well. But you're okay with getting rid of it?"
"Well... kinda figured we'd want something in the basement that's more comfortable than my boat frame."
Kate can't keep a straight face any longer and wraps her arms around his neck, drawing him into a kiss as she laughs. He chuckles as well and then hugs her tightly as she teases, "Glad to see you put so much thought into this, Gibbs. I thought maybe you'd be more set in your ways."
"I am... I'm just flexible on furniture. Now come upstairs so I can show you the other changes I've made for you."
He leads her up the stairs, her eyes scanning in all directions to detect any changes. At first she doesn't see anything, but then they step into what used to be the guest room. She sees it has now been set up as an office. She looks around, realizing something is off; then steps out into the hallway, glancing down the hall and back into the room. "You made it into an office... did you move the wall?"
"Had to make room... and the office didn't neet to be that big. Go look."
He follows her into the master bedroom, waiting by the door as she stops to glance around, then turn towards the bathroom. She steps in and her hands come up to cover the slight gasp of amazement as she sees the large whirlpool tub he installed in there. It is tucked away under a new window that is constructed of glass blocks so light can come in, but no one can see into the room. She steps closer and runs her fingers over the thoughtfully placed accent shelves which were perfect for holding her assortment of bath oils, bubbles and candles. The added space also provided for a new, larger linen closet tucked into the other corner. As she turns back towards Gibbs, he is leaning on the door frame, watching closely for her reaction. She takes one last look around and then notices that he also made the shower stall larger, removed the tub base and created a true walk in shower; tiled in various hues of small blue green tiles.
Without a word, she steps up to him, her arms circling around his waist as she leans in to give him a gentle kiss. "Jethro... I'm... it's... perfect."
"And I thought you'd be more impressed with the closet... considering the size of your shoe collection."
"Closet? You changed the closet?" He smirks as her head snaps back and her eyes sparkle with interest. She quickly steps around him and heads for the closet. Opening the door, she steps into the previously moderate walk in closet to find it has doubled in size. Her hand again goes to her mouth, trying to cover the gasp of surprise. Gibbs has moved all of his clothing to one side, which only takes up a quarter of the space. She moves into the deepest portion of the new room, turning around slowly to examine the built in shelves, shoe racks and discreet jewelry cabinet.
His thoughtfulness is too much and Kate can no longer hold back the tears as she turns her back to him. Gibbs slowly follows her into the closet, wondering what she is staring at back there. He comes up behind her, his arms wrapping around her waist as he places a soft kiss on her throat. Her soft sob surprises him and he quickly turns her around in his arms; shocked to see tears streaming down her face.
"Hey... hey, honey... what's wrong?" When she lowers her face, trying to hide her emotional outburst from him, he gently lifts her chin. He kisses her tear stained cheeks, soothing her without words. His thumb gently caresses her cheek, calming her as he tries to keep his increasing worry under control. "Kate, baby... talk to me."
"I... it's just... oh, Jethro... it's just so perfect." She tries to smile, then laughs at her own silly tears.
"So... these are happy tears?" He finally understands and grins at her in return as he wipes away another errant tear. "Okay... I can live with happy tears."
She nods and melts into his embrace, hugging him tightly as she fights to keep the tears away. After several moments, she is calmer and he gently strokes her back as he finally asks, "So... you like it?"
"Yes... God, yes... I mean, it's perfect... all of it. And you worked so hard... and you were so secretive about it..."
"Well, DiNozzo knew. He helped me do the painting... wanted it to be a surprise."
"It is... believe me. I never expected you to do all this... I love it. Thank you!" She pulls back and gently strokes her hand down along his jaw, bringing his mouth to hers for a slow, intense kiss.
Their pent up passion quickly boils to the surface as Gibbs' hand cradles the back of her head as he deepens the kiss with an impatience she matches. Their tongues twine urgently, seeking the sweetness they have missed. When Gibbs finally pulls back, he can't quite give up possession of her lips, so he continues to place gentle little kisses on them as he huskily whispers to her.
"You... only have... one... decision to make... right now..."
"When... to move... in?" Her heart is racing and she is having trouble following his words as he presses her hips firmly against his.
"No... that's... already settled..."
"Then... uuhh... what?" His mouth has now trailed around to her ear where his teeth have gently latched onto her lobe, causing shivers to run down her spine.
"Which one do... you want to christen? The new tub, the shower... the closet..."
She chuckles as she pushes him back gently in order to look into his eyes. She shakes her head back and forth slowly, and a frown creases his brow. "Oh no... you're not getting off that easy, buddy. I plan on having my way with you in all of them. It's been three days... and I don't intend to wait a minute longer, understand?"
"Yes, ma'am... I do." He holds her gaze as he slowly backs her up to the only flat wall space in the closet. His body presses into her firmly as his mouth once again descends on hers.